Class 1 Levers

In class 1 levers, the fulcrum lies between the effort and the load (Griffin, 2005). Varying the effort arm length varies the amount of force needed to lift the load—a shorter effort arm requires more force, while a longer effort arm requires less force. When the effort arm and the resistance arm are equal, the effort needed to lift the load will be equal to the weight of the load itself. The direction of the effort is opposite to the direction of the movement of the load, no matter the length of the effort or resistance arms. (Gega, 1990).

Here are some examples of class 1 levers:

A hammer is a class 1 lever when it is used to pull out nails (Image from Microsoft Office Clip Art Organizer)

boy lifting books with ruler as a class 1 lever

Here is a boy using a bar as a class 1 lever to lift a box (Image from Teaching Science as Inquiry)

Here is another boy on a see-saw, which is the classic example of a class 1 lever (Image from Teaching Science as Inquiry).

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